1. Field of the Invention
The teachings provided herein are directed to methods and devices for gently treating a hemorrhoid in a subject in manner that produces substantially less post-procedural pain in the subject, the method avoiding a removing or a necrosis of a rectal tissue fold.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hemorrhoids present a worldwide problem that needs a gentle, yet effective, treatment with substantially less post-procedural pain. Moreover, those of skill in the art would appreciate having less complex and less expensive equipment for administering the treatment. Bleeding from hemorrhoids is the most common cause of rectal bleeding, which may cause anemia or be responsible for the person's substantially decreased quality of life. Prolapsed hemorrhoids, in particular, can create a quite serious discomfort to a patient, and the situation can get worse as the patient avoids the painful state-of-the-art treatments. As the patient avoids treatment, for example, a hemorrhoidal tissue can become redundant and/or suspensory ligaments can weaken. The hemorrhoid and/or lower rectal tissue folds, mucosal and submucosal, can then prolapse outside the rectum and cause bleeding and pain to the patient. The tissue, in effect, starts to become prone for prolapse; mobile from its original, healthy position in the patient; and move in and out of the anus creating inflammation, discomfort, pain, bleeding, infection, and the like. When further left untreated, the prolapse becomes more frequent and more prominent. Finally, hemorrhoids would become constantly prolapsed or would prolapse with a minor strain only, for example, during light coughing, sneezing, or even after walking or standing for a few minutes.
Current, state-of-the-art treatments are typically not gentle but, rather, are cumbersome for the physician and painful to the patient. The most popular methods generally call for use by a colorectal surgeon, in addition to an assistant. And, such methods often require the use of the expensive and demanding-in-use, multi-component instruments. Another group of the instruments for gastroenterologists requires costly and complex endoscope equipment, such as a power source, an optical fiber arrangement and camera system, and a computer processor. These treatments are associated with significant tissue trauma and, for example, can be designed to include tissue banding, cutting and/or stapling devices that lead to the removal, and/or intentional necrosis of rectal tissue, resulting in a substantial post-procedural pain.
Accordingly, one of skill will appreciate having a method of treating a hemorrhoid, or other such anorectal lesion, that (i) is simple, easy to learn, less cumbersome, and more cost-effective than current, state-of-art methods, in that it does not require the use of the more complex, cumbersome, and expensive systems; (ii) can be used without an assistant; (iii) can be readily learned and used by a gastroenterologist, or another non-surgical specialist, rather than being suited moreso for a colorectal surgeon with specialized training; (iv) is gentle for at least the reason that it does not require cutting, banding, and/or stapling for the removal, and/or intentional necrosis of, rectal tissue; (v) gently secures the rectal tissue with a controlled or limited pressure and for a limited time to avoid tissue damage during the occluding of a vascular supply to a hemorrhoid; and, as a result, (vi) facilitates an ischemic regression of a hemorrhoid with substantially less post procedural pain than the current procedures which are directed to a traumatic removal or necrosis of the rectal tissue. Those skilled in the art, and also the patients receiving hemorrhoid treatments, will appreciate having such a simple and cost-effective method of gently obtaining (vii) a loss of bulk and weight in the hemorrhoid without the unnecessary trauma and increased post-procedural pain in the patient that is now commonplace in the art.